6 Die, 28 Hurt in Collapse of Apartments in Lebanon

At least six people were killed and 28 injured when two four-story apartment buildings collapsed early Saturday in this town on the Mediterranean coast, security sources and witnesses said.

They said four more people were feared dead under the buildings, which municipal workers had inspected and red-flagged only two hours before they collapsed.

Worried relatives and friends watched as scores of rescuers labored with hammers, electric saws and bare hands to retrieve people believed still trapped in the rubble.

Workers were afraid to use heavy equipment in the search in case vibrations brought down nearby buildings in the same complex.

Seven hours after the collapse, a rescuer emerged with 7-month-old Mouna Khan, who was wrapped in a brown blanket, unharmed.

“Praise be to God!” screamed her uncle, Ibrahim Omeirat, breaking into tears. State-run television later said Mouna’s 4-year-old sister was among those who died in Naameh, six miles south of the capital, Beirut.

Wafiq Mezher, the owner of the buildings, was arrested Saturday in northern Lebanon as he tried to flee the country with his family. An investigation was underway.

Witnesses said residents had reported cracks in the buildings’ foundations two hours before the collapse. Municipal officers carried out a nighttime inspection of the two buildings and advised residents to leave.

However, Mezher’s son, who also inspected the buildings, assured residents that the structures were safe, according to Kamal Awad, one of the residents.

Witnesses said they saw a flash from snapping electrical wires as the buildings went down.